Creators

Titanoboa is a project initiated and led by Charlie Brinson, with the help of a diverse team of dozens of co-creators, contributors, helpers, and supporters, from students to professionals, and spanning many disciplines.

Titanoboa’s Creators—The Team:

Charlie Brinson – Charlie is the project lead and founder and worked on all aspects of the project from design, fabrication, assembly, logistics and project management.

Federico Augugliaro – Federico did the research and mathematical modeling that laid the groundwork for the machine, proving that it would work. He also began the early mechanical design and FEA analysis on the vertebrae. Federico is now back at ETH Zurich working on flight assembled architecture.

James Simard - James Simard did much of the high level electrical design control architecture, built the control joystick, and generally held the electrical end of things together despite massive challenges and deadlines.

Markus Hager – Continuation and finalizing of schematic and board design for the “BoaShield”. Parts sourcing for, and manufacturing of the BoaShield PCBs. Contributed to harness assembly and testing. Occasionally brings BBQ to the lab and makes smokies.

Hugh Patterson - Mechanical design and fabrication. Hugh’s interest is in design, materials, manufacturing and snake motion. His main focus on the first prototype has been on the mechanical design of the vertebrae, joints, and head; including CAD, structural analysis, cutting, grinding, drilling, MIG and TIG welding.

Julian Fong – Julian was our ace in the hole for on the fly control software. The man could program in a dust storm with flames shooting all around him on no sleep and it would come out like poetry.

Kevin Lowe– Kevin helped with continual development of control software and numerous Titanoboa deployments.

Michael Vass - Master of electronics, battery systems, and software.

Ian Brown - Fueled by a mountain of juice boxes, Ian slaved for endless hours developing the control and communications code.

Eric Wilson – Eric also slaved for endless hours developing the control and communications code.

Jordan Cowan – Jordan helped design and assemble the hundreds of fittings that make up the hydraulic system.

Tim Lukian – Website and logo design & development.

Mark Eijsermans– Welding, head fabrication, eye design and animation.

Dillard Brinson - Dillard helped with high level design decisions and single handedly blazed through much of the aluminum vertebrae welding.

After much turmoil and uprooting everything to move, eatART is settling in to it’s new lab. Meanwhile a summer of deployments is spooling up with the Mondo Spider in Russia for Bal Robotov and Titanoboa and the Black Ghost hitting Maker Faire in San Fran!